OTC Markets Group Welcomes Gold Terra Resource Corp. to OTCQX
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSX-V: YGT; OTCQX: TRXXF), a junior gold exploration company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX® Best Market. Gold Terra Resource Corp. upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB® Venture Market.
Read MoreGold Terra Resource Corp. begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol “TRXXF.” U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.
The OTCQX Market is designed for established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX Market from the OTCQB Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors.
“With the resurgence of the gold market and the Company’s recent exploration success on its YCG project, we are delighted to be traded on the OTCQX,” said David Suda, President and CEO of the Company. “Trading on OTCQX is a reflection of our increased focus on growing our investor base in the U.S. as we continue to build awareness and unlock the potential of our gold project in Yellowknife.”
Troilus’ Preliminary Economic Assessment Delivers an After-Tax NPV5% of US$1,156 Million With a 38.3% IRR at a Spot Price of US$1950/oz Gold and an NPV5% of US$576 Million and 22.9% IRR at Base Case US$1475/oz Gold
TORONTO, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Troilus Gold Corp. (TSX: TLG; OTCQB: CHXMF) (“Troilus” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the positive results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) completed on its 100%-owned Troilus Gold Project (the “Project”) located in Quebec, Canada. The PEA supports a combined open pit/underground mining scenario with low initial capital costs and high rate of return for a 35,000 tonne per day (“tpd”) operation over a 22-year mine life.
Read MoreHighlights include (all results are reported in U.S. Dollars*):
- After-tax IRR of 22.9% and NPV5% of $576 million based on $1,475/oz gold increasing to 32.2% and $915 million at $1,750/oz gold and 38.3% and $1,156 million at $1,950/oz spot gold prices (see Table 1)
- Projected gold production of 220,000 oz average per year for the first 5 years and 246,000 oz average per year for the first 14 years
- Open pit mine life of 14 years and total mine life of 22 years with future underground development
- Initial capital of (“CAPEX”) of $333 million, including all mine pre-production costs, net of existing infrastructure (access road, power line, tailings facility, substation, camp, water treatment plant)
- After-tax payback of 4.0 years at base case $1,475/oz gold
- Average cash operating costs of $919/oz gold and all-in sustaining costs of $1,051/oz gold
- Cumulative cashflow of $1.27 billion after tax and $2.04 billion pre-tax over 22 years on base case assumptions
- Payable Gold of 3.8 million ounces, payable Copper of 265 million lbs and payable Silver of 1.5 million ounces
- Average strip ratio for the open pit life of the mine estimated at 3.9:1
*Assuming a US$:C$ exchange of $0.74. All figures reported in US$ unless stated otherwise
Justin Reid, CEO of Troilus Gold, commented “The entire Troilus team is pleased to present the results of our PEA, clearly demonstrating the potential for our project to become a major contributor as a large North American gold producer. The PEA supports: a project with production spanning 22 years, robust potential economics at discounted and current gold prices, low CAPEX, low capital intensity, and a rapid payback. The first 14 years will target production in excess of 246,000 ounces gold per year peaking at in excess of 300,000 ounces in Year 5. The Troilus Geological team has demonstrated the ability to identify an abundance of untested targets and has a track record of adding significant ounces over a very short period of time. We believe the Troilus property has the potential to extend the mine life beyond the projected 22 years presented in the PEA and provide the opportunity to expand the scale in the future by continuing to seek increases to the mineral resource estimate with ongoing exploration and drilling. Our goal is to make this a cornerstone mining Project within both the Quebec and Canadian Gold landscapes.”
“We believe the Project provides a strong foundation for building and growing the company in a mining friendly jurisdiction. With a strong treasury to support next steps, we will now be commencing pre-feasibility work and working towards finalization of an Environmental Impact Study for the Project while continuing to explore the geological potential of the 107,000-hectare Troilus property. We look forward to working with our partners in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region including the Cree Nation of Mistissini, the Cree Nation Government, the local communities of Chibougamau and Chapais, and with the support of the Quebec and federal governments, to advance the Troilus Project.”
Financial Analysis
At a Base Case US$1,475 per ounce gold price and a US$:C$ exchange of $0.74, the Project generates an after-tax Net Present Value (NPV) of US$576M, at a 5% discount rate and an Internal Rate of Return (“IRR”) of 22.9%. Payback on initial capital is 4 years. Before taxes, NPV at a 5% discount rate is US$971M, IRR is 29.6% and payback is 3.7 years.
Table 1: Summary of Troilus Gold Economic Results by Gold Price (US$)
Spot Price | Consensus | Base Case | Low Case | |
Gold Price (per oz) | $1,950 | $1,750 | $1,475 | $1,350 |
Pre-Tax NPV (5%) | $1,951 million | $1,538 million | $971 million | $713 million |
Pre-Tax IRR | 50.1% | 41.8% | 29.6% | 23.7% |
Post-Tax NPV (5%) | $1,156 million | $915 million | $576 million | $419 million |
Post-Tax IRR (%) | 38.3% | 32.2% | 22.9% | 18.2% |
The Project generates cumulative cash flow of US$1.27 billion on a post-tax basis and US$2.04 billion pre-tax, at a Base Case of US$1,475 per ounce gold price based on a throughput of 35,000 tpd over 22 years. The PEA assumes an open pit operation for the first fourteen years with the underground operation coming online starting in year 8.
The PEA is preliminary in nature, includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
To view Figure 1: Post-Tax Cash Flow and Cumulative Cash Flow (US$) please click the following link:
Table 2: Troilus Project Capital Expenditure Estimates Breakdown (US$)
Initial Capital | |
Open Pit Mining | $78 Million |
Process | $172 Million |
Infrastructure | $36 Million |
Owners Cost | $11 Million |
Contingency | $36 Million |
Total – Initial Capital | $333 Million* |
Sustaining Capital | |
Open Pit Mining | $5 Million |
Initial Underground Capital | $240 Million |
Underground Sustaining CAPEX (Life of underground) |
$175 Million |
Process | $22 Million |
Infrastructure | $19 Million |
Environmental | $19 Million |
Contingency | $26 Million |
Total – Sustaining Capital | $506 Million |
Table 3: Summary of Troilus Gold Project Operating Cost Estimates (US$)
Average Life-of-Mine Operating Cost | |
Mining – Open Pit | $9.35/tonne milled |
Mining – Underground | $14.36/tonne milled |
Processing | $4.99/tonne milled |
G&A | $1.42/tonne milled |
Concentrate Transport | $0.23/tonne milled |
Total Operating Cost | $17.10/tonne milled |
Cash Operating Cost | $919/oz Au |
All in Sustaining Cost | $1,051/oz Au |
To view Figure 2: Production Profile – Gold, Silver and Copper* please click the following link:
- Power line and 50MW substation sufficient for project power requirements,
- All weather access road,
- Tailings facility and water treatment plant,
- Camp facilities,
- Site roads,
- Water supply,
- Septic system.
A NI 43-101 technical report supporting the PEA to be prepared by AGP will be posted on Troilus Gold’s website at and on SEDAR at , within 45 days following this news release.
Table 4 – Mineral Resource Estimate– Effective as of July 20, 2020
Classification | Tonnage (Mt) |
AuEq (g/t) |
Au (g/t) |
Cu (%) |
Ag (g/t) |
Contained AuEQ (Moz) |
Contained Gold (Moz) |
Contained Copper (Mlb) |
Contained Silver (Moz) |
Indicated | 177.3 | 0.87 | 0.75 | 0.08 | 1.17 | 4.96 | 4.30 | 322.60 | 6.66 |
Inferred | 116.7 | 0.84 | 0.73 | 0.07 | 1.04 | 3.15 | 2.76 | 189.73 | 3.91 |
Open pit cut-off grade is 0.3 gpt AuEQ where the metal equivalents were calculated as follows:
- Z87 Zone: AuEq = Au grade + 1.2566 * Cu grade + 0.0103 * Ag grade
- J4/J5 Zone: AuEq = Au grade + 1.2979 * Cu grade + 0.0108 * Ag grade
- SW Zone: AuEq = Au grade + 1.2768 * Cu grade + 0.0106 * Ag grade
- Z87 Zone: 83% for Au recovery, 92% for Cu recovery and 76% for Ag recovery
- J4/J5 Zone: 82% for Au recovery, 88% for Cu recovery and 76% for Ag recovery
- SW Zone: 82.5% for Au recovery, 90% for Cu recovery and 76% for Ag recovery
The resource constraining shells were generated with:
- Metal Prices: Gold $US 1600/oz, Copper $US 3.25/lb, Silver $US 20/oz
- Mining Costs:
o J Zone and 87 Zone base cost $Cdn 1.71/t moved,
o SW Zone base cost $Cdn 1.66/t moved
o Incremental cost $Cdn 0.03/t waste moved, $Cdn 0.02/t feed moved - Process and G&A Costs: $Cdn 8.44/t processed
- Wall slopes: varied between 49.5 to 60 degrees depending on pit area and slope sector
- Metal Recoveries:
o Gold: 90% all zones except in lower grade (Au<1/2 g/t) portions of SW zone = 88%
o Copper: 90% all zones except in higher grade (Cu%>0.13%) portions of SW zone = 92%
o Silver: all zones 40%
Underground cut-off grade is 0.9 AuEQ at Z87 Zone and J4/J5 Zone
The Mineral Resource estimate used for the PEA is effective as of July 20, 2020 and unchanged since the previously reported Mineral Resource estimate in the technical report entitled “Technical Report on the Troilus Gold-Copper Project Mineral Resource Estimate, Quebec, Canada” which was prepared by Mr. Paul Daigle, géo., Senior Associate Resource Geologist with AGP Mining Consultants Inc. (AGP) and filed on SEDAR at on August 28, 2020 (the “Resources Report”). Mr. Daigle is an independent Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”).
PEA Review Conference Call & Webcast
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The mineral resource estimate disclosed in this press release was prepared by Mr. Paul Daigle, géo., Senior Associate Resource Geologist with AGP, and the supporting Resources Report was filed on SEDAR () under the Company’s issuer profile on August 28, 2020. Mr. Paul Daigle, who is an independent Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the mineral resource estimate disclosed in this press release.
The PEA was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) of the Canadian Securities Administrators under the direction and supervision of Gord Zurowski, P. Eng Principal Mining Engineer with AGP, and the supporting Technical Report (the “Technical Report”) will be available on SEDAR () under the Company’s issuer profile within 45 calendar days. Mr. Zurowski, who is an independent Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information pertaining to the PEA disclosed in this press release.
Non-IFRS Financial Measures
Non-IFRS financial measures used in this news release and common to the gold mining industry are defined below.
Total Cash Costs and Total Cash Costs per Ounce
Total Cash Costs are reflective of the cost of production. Total Cash Costs reported in the PEA include mining costs, processing & water treatment costs, general and administrative costs of the mine, off-site costs, refining costs, transportation costs and royalties. Total Cash Costs per Ounce is calculated as Total Cash Costs divided by payable gold ounces.
All-in Sustaining Costs (“AISC”) and AISC per Ounce
AISC is reflective of all of the expenditures that are required to produce an ounce of gold from operations. AISC reported in the PEAS includes total cash costs, sustaining capital, expansion capital and closure costs, but excludes corporate general and administrative costs and salvage. AISC per Ounce is calculated as AISC divided by payable gold ounces.
Gold Terra Upgraded to the OTCQX Market
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSXV:YGT)(FRA:TX0)(OTCQX:TRXXF) (“Gold Terra” or the “Company) is pleased to announce that it has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Gold Terra upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market.
Read MoreGold Terra begins trading today on OTCQX under the same symbol “TRXXF”. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.
“With the resurgence of the gold market and the Company’s recent exploration success on its YCG project, we are delighted to be trading on the OTCQX,” said David Suda, President and CEO of the Company. “Trading on OTCQX is a reflection of our increased focus on growing our investor base in the U.S. as we continue to build awareness and unlock the potential of our gold project in Yellowknife.”
Altus Strategies grants options to buy 5.1M shares
Altus Strategies PLC has granted share options to acquire an aggregate of 5.1 million ordinary shares of 0.05 British pound each in the company to certain directors and employees of the company. The exercise price of the share options is 0.7315 British pound per ordinary share, representing a 10-per-cent premium to the closing price of the ordinary shares as at the close of the Alternative Investment Market on Aug. 28, 2020. The share options are exercisable for five years. Details of the grants are set out in the associated tables.
Read MoreShare option summary date of grant Aug. 28, 2020 Exercise price 0.7315 British pound Closing (AIM) market price on date of grant 0.6650 British pound Number of ordinary shares subject to share options granted 5,100,000 Option validity period five years Option vesting period up to 18 months
The share options have been granted under the company’s 2019 enterprise management incentive (EMI) share option scheme and its 2019 non-EMI share option scheme as adopted by shareholders at its annual general meeting in June, 2020. Included within the share options are share options to purchase 4.5 million ordinary shares granted to directors and persons discharging managerial responsibilities (PDMR). The balance of the share options (to purchase 600,000 ordinary shares) was granted to company employees.
SHARE OPTIONS GRANTED TO DIRECTORS AND PDMRS Number of ordinary shares Number of ordinary shares granted subject to share options subject to share options as a percentage of the company's PDRM Position granted current issued share capital David Netherway non-executive chairman 400,000 0.57% chief executive officer Steven Poulton and director 1,000,000 1.43% Matthew Grainger executive director 800,000 1.14% Robert Milroy* non-executive director 300,000 0.43% Michael Winn non-executive director 250,000 0.36% Karim Nasr non-executive director 250,000 0.36% Martin Keylock chief financial officer 300,000 0.43% Alister Hume business development manager 300,000 0.43% Sandra Bates general counsel 300,000 0.43% William Slater VP, operations 300,000 0.43% Richard Belcher VP, exploration 300,000 0.43% Total 4,500,000 6.42% Notes * Options were granted in the name of Milroy Capital Ltd. Percentages are subject to rounding.
Share option vesting conditions
For executive directors and employees, the share options vest in two equal tranches after 12 months and after 18 months. For non-executive directors, the share options vest in two equal tranches immediately and after 12 months.
Cerro de Pasco Resources Extends Date for Landmark Acquisition of the Cerro de Pasco Mine
- Agrees to a 60 days Extension to the Cerro de Pasco Mine Acquisition Agreement
- Mandates Sprott Capital Partners LP as Financial Advisor
- Adds $1M to Recent Financing
- Grants Stock Options to Directors, Officers, Employees and Consultants
MONTRÉAL, Sept. 1, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ – Cerro de Pasco Resources Inc. (CSE: CDPR) (OTCMKTS: GPPRF) (Frankfurt : N8HP) (“CDPR” or the “Company”) is providing the following update.

60-day Extension of the Cerro de Pasco Acquisition Agreement
CDPR has agreed to extend the acquisition agreement of the Cerro de Pasco Mine, described below, with Volcan Compañia Minera S.A.A. (BVL: VOLCABC1) and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Volcan”) until October 30, 2020. The Company’s management continues to advance towards a successful closing and has extended the agreement date to enable the amendment of certain key terms to the benefit of both parties in the Transaction. The closing of the Transaction is expected to occur on or before October 30, 2020 subject to standard closing conditions and procedures being met.
About the Transaction
On November 28, 2019, the Company announced the execution of a definitive share purchase agreement dated November 27, 2019 (the “Agreement“) with Volcan, whereby CDPR will acquire all of the issued shares of Oxidos de Pasco S.A.C., Empresa Administradora de Cerro S.A.C and Remediadora Ambiental S.A.C.. The arm’s length transaction (the “Transaction“) will provide CDPR ownership and operation of all mining and processing assets in Cerro de Pasco, Central Peru, including a precious metal leach plant and a base and precious metals concentrator, together having a permitted capacity of almost twenty thousand tonnes per day.
For further details about the Transaction please referred to the press release issued on November 28, 2019.
Sprott Capital Partners LP
Cerro de Pasco has retained Sprott Capital Partners (“Sprott Capital“) as its financial advisor in relation to the funding of the Transaction. Sprott Capital is uniquely positioned to advise and support CDPR in this landmark and transformational transaction, having recently completed numerous transactions in the natural resources sector. Sprott Capital is a division of Sprott Inc., an alternative asset manager.
Private Placement
Further to the news release of August 21, 2020, CDPR completed a non-brokered private placement offering (the “Offering“) for gross proceeds of $1,000,000 and issued 3,333,334 units of the Company (“Units“) at a price of at a price of $0.30 per Unit.
Under the different tranches of the Offering, the Company raised aggregate gross proceeds of $3,000,000 (please refer to the press releases issued on August 21, July 2, June 16 and June 11, 2020).
Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (“Share“) and one common share purchase warrant (“Warrant“). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Share at a price of $0.50 per Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance provided however that the Company shall be entitled to accelerate the expiry of the Warrants to the date that is 30 days following the date a notice is provided to the holder in the event that the volume weighted average price of the Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange exceeds $1.00 per Share for any twenty (20) consecutive trading days at any time prior to the expiry of the Warrants.
In connection with the current tranche of the Offering, the Company issued 250,000 finder warrants to arm’s length third parties, each entitling its holder to purchase one Share at a price of $0.365 per Share until August 28, 2022.
The Company will use the net proceeds of the Offering for working capital purposes and towards advancing exploration drilling at its historical Quiulacocha polymetallic tailings storage facility which is an immediately adjacent property to the Cerro de Pasco Mine.
Any securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period under applicable securities laws which will expire four months and one day from the date of their issuance.
Grant of Stock Options
Cerro de Pasco also announces that it has granted incentive stock options to directors, officers, employees, and consultants of Cerro de Pasco to acquire an aggregate of 4.5 million common shares at $0.40 per share, for a period of 3 to 5 years. These incentive stock options have been granted in accordance with CDPR’s Stock Option Plan.
Omineca Announces the Receipt of Drill Permits – Drilling to Commence
SASKATOON, SK, Sept. 1, 2020 /CNW/ – Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd. (TSXV: OMM) (“Omineca” or the “Company”), announces that it has received permits from the Government of British Columbia for the first 27 diamond drill holes, totalling approximately 8,000 meters, at its Wingdam gold exploration project in the Cariboo Mining District of south-central British Columbia. A drill is on site and final preparations are underway to commence the maiden drill program.
Read MoreThe central focus of Omineca’s 2020 gold exploration program is to locate the presumed multiple bedrock sources of placer gold recovered by Omineca in the 2012 underground bulk sampling program.
Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd.’s management would like to recognize the Ministry and its various agencies and contractors for their efforts in keeping this project moving amidst the challenges that Covid 19 has presented. Omineca would also like to extend its thanks to the Lhtako Dene Nation, Red Bluff Indian Band for their open communication and input. Omineca looks forward to a mutually successful project in the Cariboo Mining District.
The Company will provide regular updates as the drill program progresses.
About Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd.
Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd. controls its flagship Wingdam Project and the Fraser Canyon Project through its wholly owned subsidiary CVG Mining Ltd. The Wingdam Project is located 45 km east of Quesnel B.C. on the Barkerville highway. The property includes both placer and hard-rock tenures now totaling over 39,000 hectares (390 square kms) surrounding the Lightning Creek valley. Topographic conditions created a thick overburden which preserved a large portion of an underground channel from conventional surface placer mining activity. For 2020, Omineca has plans to re-start a bulk sampling program to recover placer gold trapped underground while also conducting a diamond drill program to explore for multiple potential hard rock sources of the placer gold.
Group 11 Technologies Inc. Announces Commercial Launch
DALLAS, Texas, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Group 11 Technologies Inc., (‘Group 11 or the “Company”), a United States-based private company committed to testing and implementing non-invasive in-situ recovery (“ISR”) of precious metals with the use of environmentally friendly solutions, is pleased to announce its commercial launch.
Read MoreEffective August 28th, 2020 Group 11’s founding partners have finalized all necessary organizational, shareholder, and licensing documentation and will now commence formal operations. Group 11’s initial steps will include the acquisition and subsequent testing of already identified gold projects that demonstrate specific qualities lending themselves to the Company’s environmentally and economically superior processes. Group 11 is committed to providing commercially viable, sustainable alternatives to conventional mining for the extraction and processing of precious metals.
Group 11 was founded and is owned by enCore Energy Corp. (“enCore”) (TSXV: EU; OTCQB: ENCUF) with 40% of the common stock, EnviroLeach Technologies Inc. (“EnviroLeach”) (CSE : ETI; OTCQB: EVLLF) with 40% of the common stock and Golden Predator Mining Corp. (“Golden Predator”) (TSXV: GPY; OTCQB: NTGSF) with 20% of the common stock. EnCore has contributed $750,000 in initial funding and will provide in-situ extraction expertise, EnviroLeach has entered into a license agreement with Group 11 for the use of its environmentally friendly metal recovery process and will provide chemical and metallurgical expertise, Golden Predator will contribute mobile processing equipment and expertise in utilizing EnviroLeach’s environmentally friendly solution for recovery of gold from sulphide concentrates. Group 11, a private company, will finance all ongoing research and development expenditures for in-situ and secondary recovery applications.
FPX begins carbon capture field tests at Baptiste
FPX Nickel Corp. has commenced the first-ever field tests that are designed to confirm the potential for the development of a low-carbon or zero-carbon mining operation at its Baptiste project in the Decar nickel district in central British Columbia. The field tests, initiated in August by researchers from the University of British Columbia (“UBC”), build on previous positive laboratory tests, which have demonstrated that the Baptiste Project’s tailings can absorb considerable quantities of carbon dioxide (“CO2 “) when exposed to air through a natural process of mineral carbonation.
Read MoreHighlights
Current field testing builds on a strong foundation of laboratory testing dating back to 2016 which has demonstrated the potential, and controls for, carbon capture by Baptiste tailings by both direct air capture and CO2 injection from flue gas
Field tests, from August to October 2020, are being conducted on splits of a 300 kilogram sample to simulate the rate and volume of carbon sequestration by direct air capture of CO2 from Baptiste tailings under field conditions typical of an eventual mining operation
Preliminary testing will also be conducted to provide indications of the extent to which carbon sequestration may enhance the geotechnical stability of the host material
“This test program is designed primarily to estimate the potential of Baptiste tailings to permanently sequester significant quantities of carbon dioxide by direct air capture under natural conditions as a consequence of the proposed mining and milling process,” commented Martin Turenne, FPX Nickel’s President and CEO. “The Baptiste Project has the potential to be a global leader in the large-scale production of low- or zero-carbon nickel for decades to come. We look forward to sharing the results of these field tests in the coming months.”
Background
The field tests are being overseen by UBC’s Dr. Greg Dipple, who has been investigating carbon capture in mine tailings for over a decade, and specifically the potential of the Baptiste Project tailings since 2016. Dr. Dipple is an international leader in the research of carbon sequestration; his studies have incorporated findings from several operating sites, including BHP’s Mt. Keith nickel mine in Australia and DeBeers’ Diavik diamond operations in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
Detailed mineralogical examination conducted by the UBC research team has shown that the amount of CO2 that can be sequestered in ultramafic host rock is strongly controlled by the amount of the mineral brucite (Mg(OH) 2), which when exposed to air, through a natural process of carbon mineralization, forms solid magnesium carbonate which is geologically stable. This team has also developed a method for determining the amount of brucite in each assay sample within the Baptiste mineral resource, allowing for the potential development of a targeted approach to carbon sequestration over the life of an eventual mining operation at Baptiste.
Previous test results suggest that the principal rate-limiting factor on the amount of CO2 sequestration in Baptiste material is the volume of CO2 available for exposure to the brucite contained in the host rock. These results suggest further avenues of study to investigate various engineering options to improve the contact rate between CO2 and brucite.
Carbon sequestration can also occur via the reaction of CO2 with the serpentine minerals which are also present in the Baptiste Project, though this reaction is significantly weaker than the CO2 reaction with brucite.
2020 Test Program
The field work is designed to test the rate and amount of carbon capture from direct air exposure and to assess how this process is affected by normal climactic changes typical of central British Columbia. A portion of the sample material is being fully exposed to local weather conditions throughout the field experiment, with another portion forming a control sample in a covered outdoor area.
This work will be completed on a representative mineralized composite sample of approximately 300 kilograms of assay reject material from drill holes, ground to the similar sizes as the anticipated tailings in a potential mining operation.
The test program is being conducted in two stages. The first stage comprises a field test in August at an outdoor location in Prince George which approximates the climactic conditions at the Decar Nickel District. The second stage comprises an extended study to be conducted both outdoors and in a laboratory in the Vancouver area in September and October. Testing during this latter stage will assess the rate and quantity of carbon capture by exposure of Baptiste material to air and to injected CO2 gas.
In addition to the geochemical tests assessing the rate and quantity of carbon sequestration, tests during both stages of the program will be conducted to measure the change in the physical properties of the crushed rock sample, particularly to understand the extent to which the carbon sequestration process may enhance the geotechnical stability of the host material.
The Company has engaged a senior consulting engineering firm to provide input on the design and execution of the UBC test programs, to assist in the interpretation of test results, and to guide future work programs which could ultimately support the incorporation of carbon sequestration parameters into the tailings design for the Baptiste Project.
The Company expects to report the preliminary findings of the August field trial in the first quarter of 2021, and to report the final findings of the entire 2020 test program (including both the August field trial and subsequent field and lab testing from September-October) by the second quarter of 2021.
Funding for the Baptiste field test has been provided, in part, by the Government of Canada’s Clean Growth Program, which in 2019 awarded a $2 million grant to researchers from UBC, Trent University, University of Alberta and Universite INRS, working in collaboration with mining companies including FPX Nickel Corp. and De Beers Group. For further information on this government grant, see FPX Nickel’s news release dated July 24, 2019.
Dr. Peter Bradshaw, P. Eng., FPX Nickel’s Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.
About the Decar Nickel District
The Company’s Decar Nickel District claims cover 245 square kilometres of the Mount Sidney Williams ultramafic/ophiolite complex, 90 km northwest of Fort St. James in central British Columbia. The District is a two hour drive from Fort St. James on a high-speed logging road.
Decar hosts a greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in the form of a naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy called awaruite, which is amenable to bulk-tonnage, open-pit mining. Awaruite mineralization has been identified in four target areas within this ophiolite complex, being the Baptiste Project, the B target, the Sid target and Van target, as confirmed by drilling in the first three plus petrographic examination, electron probe analyses and outcrop sampling on all four. Since 2010, more than $25 million has been spent on the exploration and development of Decar.
Of the four targets in the Decar Nickel District, the Baptiste Project has been the main focus of diamond drilling since 2010, with a total of 82 holes and over 31,000 metres of drilling completed. The Sid target was tested with two holes in 2010 and the B target had a single hole drilled into it in 2011; all three holes intersected nickel-iron alloy mineralization over wide intervals with DTR nickel grades comparable to the Baptiste Project. The Van target was not drill-tested at that time as rock exposure was very poor prior to logging activity by forestry companies.
As reported in a NI 43-101 resource estimate prepared on February 26, 2018, the Baptiste deposit contains 1.843 billion tonnes of indicated resources at an average grade of 0.123% DTR nickel, for 2.3 million tonnes of DTR nickel, and 391 million tonnes of inferred resources with an average grade of 0.115% DTR nickel, for 0.4 million tonnes of DTR nickel, reported at a cut-off grade of 0.06%. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.